Size 12 by St Patrick's Day!: January 2012

Away for a Week

There has been a death in my family, so I won't be updating this blog until Wednesday, February 1, 2012.

I said I was learning to maintain my weight, not that I had mastered the skill. I am still posting my "This is how much pizza I can have per day and not gain weight" picture. I posted it to Facebook yesterday because of a discussion. It really surprised me just how little food my body actually needs, compared with how much I want to give it.

Here is what I ate yesterday and gained .4 pounds, even though I ate more the day before and maintained perfectly:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and soy milk
Half a dinner plate of Costco combo pizza

Baked chicken, onion and carrots

One brown sugar cinnamon Pop Tart

I think the Pop Tart is the culprit. Maybe if I had eaten it in the morning before I walked my dog .97 miles in the icy park... But anyway, there you have it. Two days left on keep trim eating and I am up .4 pounds.

Some have asked me why I do the keep trim eating periods, why I don't just stay on the diet all the time until I am at my goal. For one thing, I trust to The Complete Scarsdale Medical Diet because a medical doctor authored it. For another, keep trim eating is teaching me how to keep the weight off. Keeping the weight off is the hardest part in many ways.

Dr Herman Tarnower, the author of the book, "The Complete Scarsdale Medical Diet," had a French cook and was a foodie like me. He was a practicing physician. Not only did he go to medical school at Syracuse, Dr Tarnower saw patients for twenty years before writing this book. He was a heart specialist, but all medical doctors have to study nutrition in order to treat the full patient. From reading his book, I know that Dr Tarnower went on the Scarsdale diet himself whenever he gained 5 pounds over his goal weight and that he weighed himself every morning to see how much he could cheat.

Medical advice aside, keep trim eating periods help me practice maintaining my weight. How am I supposed to know how much pizza I can eat without gaining weight if I don't have a chance to experiment and find out? Also, this is unscientific, but it seems as if weight loss plateaus come toward the end of my two week dieting periods. It appears that my body only wants to be in weight loss mode for two weeks or so, and then dieting becomes less effective. Finally, keep trim periods give me an end in sight, something to look forward to. I don't think I could have stayed on my diet and lost 80 pounds if I only ever got to eat diet food. I love the chance to eat normal food during the keep trim periods.

Have a look at some of my friends' blogs about their projects.

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159.8 Keep Trim Day 10 of 13

I'm keeping the weight off! This is two days in a row at exactly my keep trim eating weight for this period: 159.8. I eat normal food during keep trim periods, too, which means I will be eating normal food once I am at my goal! This is encouraging.

We are excited to be invited to a Valentine's banquet through the tiny little church of the two we attend right now. I have taken a day off this keep trim period so that I can get in 14 full diet days and be back on keep trim eating for the banquet on Saturday, February 11.

What does one wear to a Valentine's banquet, though? I want to go out and buy a really pretty, fluffy dress, but in reality it will be too cold to wear a dress. Lately I am thinking maybe just a pretty sweater in red, pink or white would be best. I could wear it with these skinny fawn corduroys, or maybe even get some white corduroys at The Salvation Army Thrift Store or Good Will Store.

A lady named Erika from this same tiny church made aprons for all the ladies for Christmas. She is the same German lady who made the Christmas bread. Isn't the fabric beautiful?

We walked the dogs in the icy park yesterday, with our cleats on. My pedometer says I walked .96 miles. Walking on slippery ice while wearing cleats is easier than walking in a foot of fresh snow, but not by much.

Here is what I ate yesterday to exactly maintain my weight, along with walking and housework for exercise:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and soy milk

1 Brown sugar cinnamon Pop Tart

1 Costco combo slice of pizza (from our refrigerator)

3 Hershey's Drops

Handful of cajun-breaded oven-fried trout, 6 Brussels sprouts

Custard dish of blueberries

159.8 Keep Trim Day 9 of 13

Today I am wearing my 32 x 32 corduroys from one of the second hand clothing stores for the first time. They are just a little smaller than my size 10 corduroys. My tummy got flat enough that I can wear them fastened without too much discomfort.

They will of course be much more comfortable when I am at my goal weight of 145. I might even need a smaller size then. We shall see! Scott took this picture of me in my 32 x 32 corduroys just a few minutes ago.

I am maintaining my weight at exactly the 159.8 pounds I started this keep trim eating period on. Yes, I am thrilled to be in the 150s! Under 150 is my goal, though, which is why I set my sights on 145. I figure at 145 I will weigh in at under 150 even in the doctor's office.

We got a ride to the church up the icy hill yesterday from a friend who has front-wheel drive. I got to sing with the pastor again. He goes in for surgery this Wednesday, so we will be praying for him. They served homemade oatmeal cookies during fellowship hour and had extras they sent home with us. I ate 6 all together: three with cranberries in them and three with chocolate chips in them. Yummy!

We walked the dogs in the icy snowy park when we got home from church. We used our new pedometers. I walked 1.26 miles in the icy snow before I got a blister and came home.

Here is all I ate yesterday and lost .2 pounds on keep trim eating:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and soy milk
Half a brown sugar cinnamon Pop Tart
Cup of blueberries
Cup of raw carrot sticks, 2 tablespoons parmesan spinach dip
6 oatmeal cookies: 3 with cranberries and 3 with chocolate chips
Half a stuffed salmon steak, six Brussels sprouts, half a cup of red bell pepper sauteed in Pam

159.6 Thank God for Sunny Winter Days!

It was sunny yesterday after three days of snow storms. Everyone and their sister was at Costco, stocking up and eating pizza and hot dogs, including us. We also went to the bank and to Walmart, all in ecstatic joy!

Of course, over night the slush froze into ice. I am not sure we can make it to church this morning unless we walk through the ice to our closer church, which is a mile off. Maybe God will smile on us and melt the ice before 11 a.m.

Scott took this picture of me smiling in the winter sunshine in the Costco parking lot yesterday. I am wearing the size 12 Anne Klein jeans, and look! They are baggy on me! They are even more baggy in the seat.

We walked all over Walmart and Costco, and we walked the dogs half a mile in the slushy park. We bought two pedometers at Walmart, for less than $5 each. Today we will figure out how to use them. On Mapquest we figured out our route to the park and six times around is almost exactly two miles, as we thought. I wanted the pedometers to gauge how far we walk if we do more laps, walk to church, or go shopping.

Here is the normal food I ate yesterday on keep trim eating and lost .4 pounds along with walking probably two miles total between the park and stores:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and soy milk
Half a brown sugar cinnamon Pop Tart
1 Hershey's Drop
Half a Costco Combo Slice of pizza, Tropicana Lite Lemonade
Half an egg roll (sample)
Three bites of flax seed flavor oatmeal (sample)
Half a stuffed salmon steak, 4 Brussels sprouts, half a cup of red bell pepper sauteed in Pam
1 Hershey's Drop

160 I have lost 80 pounds!

We slogged a mile in a foot of snow yesterday with the dogs trying all the time to run after other dogs. We both agree that walking in snow is like walking six times farther without snow. We were both sore and needed to sit for an hour when we got home!

Scott took this picture of me yesterday before our walk. I am wearing my University of California Golden Bears T shirt. This shirt used to confuse my students, because it doesn't say UC Berkeley on it like my other college T shirts do. They thought it was a different school. I explained Berkeley was the first UC campus, so students and alumni call UC Berkeley Cal, short for California.

These size 12 jeans are downright baggy in the seat now, but still fit in the waist. I have been doing crunches to try and reduce my waist more. In this picture you can also see that my ankles are swollen a little still (especially my left ankle), but not nearly so much as they were when I was carrying 80 more pounds around.

Here is what I ate yesterday and lost .4 pounds, along with slogging a mile in a foot of snow:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and soy milk
Half a 10 oz Tony's Crispy Crust Supreme Pizza, handful of raw carrot sticks
1/3 of a brown sugar cinnamon Pop Tart
Half a hamburger patty, 1/4 of a salmon patty and steamed broccoli and cauliflower

160.4 Keep Trim Day 6 of 13

Whew! Yesterday I lost 1.2 pounds that I had gained on Jan 18! We walked half a mile with the dogs in a foot of snow. I had pulled a tendon while dragging my feet to blaze a trail in the snow that we could follow on subsequent laps. I think it was my adductor tendon. It feels OK now after a night's sleep.

Scott took this picture of me yesterday, while I was 1.2 pounds heavier, to illustrate that my size 10 pants still fit just fine. That is my favorite hoodie also, in the picture. I have three and I wear them instead of robes. It's a Washington thing, I think.

Today is our third day in a row snowed in. In an emergency we would put chains on our tires. Otherwise, it just seems more prudent to not drive anywhere. The major roads are plowed as they get to them, but our street is buried in half a foot of snow. More snow is constantly falling. It is kind of fun, but I hope it clears up by Sunday morning.

Here is all I ate yesterday, and lost 1.2 pounds, along with slogging half a mile in the snow, blazing a trail:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and organic soy milk

3/4 of a salmon patty, steamed broccoli and cauliflower

1/2 of a hamburger patty, steamed broccoli and cauliflower

Edited later to add: We get these Alaskan salmon burger patties at Costco, in the frozen foods section. Here are links to more days when I lost a lot of weight so you can see what I ate that day and maybe copy it to lose weight yourself!

161.6 Keep Trim Day 5 of 13

Hello from snowy Spokane, WA!

Oreo and I trudged two miles in the snow yesterday, and yet I gained 1.2 pounds. My new secondhand pants don't fit any tighter, so maybe I am gaining muscle.

In this photo you can see the bottom half of the balaclava I wear in place of hat and scarf. A balaclava is like a ski mask except it only has one big opening in front. I pull it up to cover my nose and mouth. It covers the top of my head under my hood, and it doesn't let cold air next to my neck.

We have a cool technological arrangement that makes walking in the snow extra fun. In one ear I have an ear bud connected to a radio. In the other ear I have my new noise cancelling Bluetooth connected to my phone where I can easily hear and talk to Scott. It feels like we are on some official expedition. All the cords get a little tricky under the balaclava, but it is worth a little fuss to be able to hear each other and the radio.

We don't get that much snow here in Spokane. There is a snow warning for today and yesterday. Yesterday we got half a foot. Snow melts after a few days here, too.

Here is what I ate yesterday and gained a shocking 1.2 pounds, even with trudging 2 miles in the snow:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and soy milk

1 Hershey's Drop (like an m&m without the shell)

1 small bite of Scott's Chocolately Mint Quaker Chewy Bar

Half a dinner plate of Costco Combo Pizza

Steamed broccoli and cauliflower topped with half a cup of grated cheese

1 Brown sugar cinnamon Pop Tart

Half a hamburger patty (eaten at 9 pm, so actually this may be the culprit)

160.4 Keep Trim Day 4 of 13

For the third day in a row, I weigh 160.4. This is a keep trim eating period where I am trying to maintain my weight. I only wish I were maintaining at 159.8 instead of 160.4, but you know what? I'll take it! We walked the dogs two miles yesterday before the snow storm hit.

I just took this picture of my profile myself, using the "Natural and Flash" feature on my Fujifilm digital camera. First it shoots with flash and immediately after it shoots without flash. This shot is without flash. I think it came out really well.

As you have pointed out, Mom, my face is much thinner than it was. I still have a bit of a double chin, but nothing like when I weighed 240 pounds. I find it amusing that all my turtleneck collars are loose on me, even my new ones.

Here is what I ate yesterday and maintained my weight exactly, along with walking two miles:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and soy milk
Costco combo slice of pizza
Half a hamburger patty, half a tablespoon of BBQ sauce, steamed broccoli and cauliflower
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160.4 Keep Trim Day 3 of 13

I guess I upset some sort of balance, because I took a diet day yesterday and I still weigh 160.4. It is no fun being on keep trim eating if I have to keep taking diet days to get back to the 159.8 I weighed on Jan 15! We walked the dogs two miles in the morning yesterday. I did 50 crunches.

This picture doesn't make my face as pretty as yesterday's photo, but it shows off my flatter tummy better. I am glad I paid better attention when shopping for these size 10 pants. I might have them quite awhile. I made sure they were the right length, in addition to fitting at the top.

I am wearing the cute size 12 Anne Klein jeans today with long underwear underneath! Size 12 is that big on me.

Here is all I ate yesterday along with walking two miles and stayed exactly the same weight as the day before, 160.4:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and soy milk
Leftover baked chicken, onion and carrots
Leftover baked chicken, steamed broccoli and cauliflower

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160.4 Keep Trim Day 2 of 13

I ate two pieces of pizza at a dinner party last night instead of the one I meant to stick to. I gained .6 pounds and now weigh 160.4. My keep trim eating goal for this 13 day period is to maintain my weight at 159.8. I walked each dog one mile yesterday for a total of two miles.

Scott took this picture of me this morning, wearing the rust color size 10 corduroys I bought yesterday at The Salvation Army Thrift Store. I am bending down to pet the dog, so my tummy shows, but it doesn't when I stand up straight. I chose this picture because I like my smile. These pants have stretched out a little from wearing them and they are comfortable now. I am officially a size 10!

I wonder if the 15 additional pounds I plan to lose will make me a size 8 or just a really loose size 10. I guess we shall see. I plan on adjusting my goal weight so that I am comfortable in whatever size puts me below 145. [Later: I am a comfortable size 8 at 145 - 149.9 pounds!]

Here is what I ate yesterday on my first keep trim eating day of this cycle and gained .6 pounds while trying to maintain my weight:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and soy milk
Maple bar at church fellowship
Baked chicken, onion and carrots
Two thirds of a dinner plate of Papa Murphy's veggie pizza
(I should have stopped at one third a dinner plate, but it tasted so good!)

159.8 Keep Trim Day 1 of 13

I'm in the 150s! I weigh 159.8 now after losing a pound yesterday. We walked the dogs two miles in the morning, but didn't walk in the afternoon yesterday.

I confess I don't really measure my breakfast portions with cups. I have reduced my breakfast down to one handful of Special K topped with three culled palmfuls of blueberries and enough soy milk to moisten the cereal, as in the photo to the left. When I was using the larger cereal bowl it had grown to almost twice this much, and I was not losing weight as quickly.

By culled palm-fulls of blueberries, I mean I scoop up just enough blueberries that I can examine them for spoiled ones and stems while they sit in my palm. Isn't the bowl cute? My sister's friend made them several years ago and my sister gave me two for Christmas.

I shopped at The Salvation Army Thrift Store yesterday. Guess what? I am now a tight size 10! I bought two pairs of warm size 10 corduroy pants. I have been wearing size 12 black corduroys lately, so I was glad that the two pairs out of 30 that I tried on that fit me best were a rust color and a fawn color. I will continue to wear the size 12 clothes until the 10s are a little more comfortable. I just wanted to have the size 10 corduroys on hand for when that happens! The fawn pair are actually a men's size 32 x 32.

Here is what I ate yesterday and lost a pound along with walking two miles in the morning:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and soy milk
Salmon patty, steamed broccoli and cauliflower
Baked chicken, onion and carrots

***Edited later to add these links to other days I lost a lot of weight on my diet:

Also see my post on suggested ways to use my blog to lose weight yourself.

A Note on Blueberries and Dieting

Blueberries are a tasty fruit without being high in calories. Strawberries are another low calorie fruit. Most berries are good low calorie fruit choices. Other fruits, not so much. Consult one of the many online fruit calorie counters if you are in doubt, but most fruits are very sugary, especially melons like honeydew. Bananas are especially fatty (but a banana is still a better snack choice than Ritz Crackers).

The Scarsdale Medical Diet includes lunch any day you want of fruit salad with half a cup of non-fat cottage cheese and six walnut halves. I have read many comments from sad dieters who say this lunch ruined their weight loss for any day they had it.

My advice is to stick to berries as your fruit when on the diet, and to go easy on the other fruits when on keep trim eating. I say go easy, but don't give up fruit. It is very good for you and can work on keep trim eating. I ate two sliced apples candied with two tablespoons of peanut butter and a handful of semi sweet chocolate chips for lunch yesterday and still lost half a pound on keep trim eating.

160.8 Diet Day 14 of 14

I lost .6 pounds yesterday and I now weigh 160.8! I walked the halls for twenty minutes yesterday morning at the school where I substituted. Scott and I walked the dogs a mile in the park when I got home.

In these pictures I am joyfully trying on women's size medium down jackets by The North Face at Costco. I fit comfortably in a size medium women's jacket! That means the top of me is size 10. Medium is size 8-10.

I didn't need to buy the jacket. It was enough that it fit me. Scott taking these pictures was a nice bonus. He does such a good job catching the joy on my face, in the photo on the left! It is so much fun to try on clothes now that I actually fit in a normal size!

The bottom half of me is shrinking as well. These size 12 Anne Klein jeans are getting loose on me. I love your suggestion to put them in the dryer, Mom! LOL! :) Yep, that works for the first hour or so!

Here is what I ate yesterday and still lost .6 pounds, along with walking at least 2 miles:

3/4 cup Special K, 1/2 cup blueberries, 1/2 cup soy milk

1 cup raw carrot sticks, 2 tablespoons parmesan spinach dip

Hamburger patty, 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce, 2 cups steamed broccoli and cauliflower
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161.4 Diet Day 13 of 14

I gained .2 pounds back yesterday and I weigh 161.4 again. I am shocked that I actually gained weight back! I walked my dog a mile and then I walked all over the VA Medical Center, Walmart and Costco. Here is what I ate:

3/4 cup Special K, 3/4 cup soy milk

Leftover baked chicken and carrots

Costco Sample Cheats:

1 lobster ravioli

1 bite-sized empanada

1/2 a mozarella stick

2 cups steamed broccoli and cauliflower, 1/4 cup grated cheese

That one Pasta Prima lobster ravioli is probably what did me in. It was as big as the palm of my hand and had cheese in it as well as lobster. I fully expected it to stall my weight loss for the day (but it was so good!), but I am shocked that I actually gained weight. We bought a package of the lobster ravioli. We plan on having it for dinner Sunday night.

I will be on keep trim eating, so I will only be trying to maintain my weight, not lose, but I better only have one ravioli and the rest vegetables!

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161.2 Diet Day 12 of 14

I lost .2 pounds yesterday and now I weigh 161.2. I walked 2 miles in the morning and another mile with Scott in the afternoon. I didn't cheat. I expected to lose at least a pound, and I am disappointed.

On the positive side, you know those 34 x 30 jeans I squeezed into in November? I just put them on the "sell" pile! They were falling off of me. I guess I now wear 32 x 30 in men's jeans!

This is a picture of my dessert candle. Scott started doing this, and I got the idea from him. As long as I actually have something in my stomach, smelling the aroma of sweet food actually satisfies me as if I have eaten it. I light this candle after I finish eating a meal, so that I can smell my dessert.

This one is pumpkin spice bread. In the other room we have a gingerbread one. We got them at Walmart for about $4 each. I did see the Yankee Candle display at Target, but there is no way I am spending $25 on a candle!

Here is what I ate yesterday:

3/4 cup Special K, 3/4 cup soy milk
Leftover baked chicken, onion and carrots
Salmon patty, 2 cups steamed broccoli and cauliflower

161.4 Diet Day 11 of 14

I lost 1.2 pounds yesterday! That is more like it! I now weigh 161.4. I walked twice yesterday, one mile in the morning and one mile in the afternoon. It looks like walking twice a day is more effective than walking two miles in the afternoon, so on days I don't teach that is how I will walk now.

This picture is my 1989 graduation from UC Berkeley. I was not weighing myself at the time, but I was a size 8.

Unfortunately, in my twenties I controlled my weight largely by smoking instead of eating. I really am learning for the first time how much I can eat and maintain my weight without gaining, let alone lose weight.

I quit smoking in 1995, a year after I got married. Like losing weight, quitting smoking was relatively easy to do once I made up my mind to do it. However, I substituted eating for smoking back then, and that is when the weight started to pile on.

Weight started to pile on me even faster in 1998 when I left teaching and got a desk job at Farmers Insurance. I was on salary and forced to work 70 to 80 hours per week, just to keep my job. I had no time for a personal life, let alone exercise. Eating was my comfort, sitting at my desk all that time. Losing that job in 2007 was devastating at the time, but now I am glad I woke up from that desk job trance. I only regret it took me until 2011 to realize I needed to lose the extra 100 pounds that had piled on while I did that desk job.

I walked two miles yesterday. Here is what I ate and still lost 1.2 pounds:

3/4 cup Special K, 3/4 cup strawberries, 3/4 cup soy milk

1/4 cup ham, 1 cup steamed broccoli and cauliflower

3/4 cup baked chicken, 1 cup baked onions and carrots

162.6 Diet Day 10 of 14

I lost .4 pounds yesterday and now I weigh 162.6! We walked the dogs two miles yesterday. I also substitute taught, so I was on my feet four hours of the day.

This is a picture of what I wore to school yesterday. I am wearing a jacket that my sister gave me 15 years ago, and it fits once again. I am also wearing a beautiful Brighton belt that my mom gave me ten years ago, and it also fits! Those are size 12 corduroys that fit me so loosely!

I guess this fat I am losing now is far more stubborn than what I have lost in the past. I have had this fat longer, so I guess that makes sense. It is just a little discouraging to only lose .4 pounds and not a whole pound after walking two miles instead of one mile and after cutting my portions.

When I first started dieting, I was losing at least a pound a day and often more. If I were losing at that rate now, I would be done with this in 18 more diet days. I guess that is just not how it works. The closer I get to my weight loss goal, the slower the pounds come off. I guess I will just enjoy all these "hand me down" size 12 clothes a little longer, is all!

Here is what I ate yesterday and lost .4 pounds after also walking two miles:

Small bowl of Special K, strawberries and organic soy milk
1 cup raw carrot sticks, 2 tablespoons parmesan spinach dip
Hamburger patty, 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce, 2 cups steamed broccoli and cauliflower

163.0 Diet Day 9 of 14

I lost .8 pounds yesterday and now weigh 163.0. We walked 2 and 1/3 miles with the dogs. My lower back was bothering me a bit at the end of our walk, but I laid on the mat massager and turned on the heat. That had me feeling better in about an hour.

I have cut back on my breakfast portions. I don't know if that is what increased my weight loss yesterday, but I will take it! In this picture is another size 10 coat I tried on in the juniors department the other day. I don't like the way the coat looks, but I love my happy smile in this picture!

I sang alto yesterday for every song at church while our pastor and a deacon sang the melody. It was the second time we had sung this way. It worked well. Many people told me afterward that they really liked it.

The only tricky thing was the pastor was wearing the lapel mic and no one had put the wireless mic on the stage for me. I was leaning over his left shoulder and singing into his lapel mic! I could have gone up and shared the podium mic with the deacon, but I don't know him very well and it would have been awkward for me.

Here is what I ate yesterday and lost .8 pounds with a 2 and 1/3 mile walk:

Small bowl of Special K, strawberries and organic soy milk
1 bite of bread and 1 swallow of grape juice
Handful of raw baby carrots, 2 tablespoons Parmesan spinach dip
Hamburger patty, 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce, 2 cups steamed broccoli and cauliflower

163.8 Diet Day 8 of 13

I lost .2 pounds yesterday and now I weigh 163.8. This is a size 10 coat that I tried on yesterday. It wasn't flattering, so I didn't get it, but I was thrilled that it fit!

On the one hand, I can't emphasize enough the thrill I feel now when I see clothes in stores. It used to be that none of them would fit me, so I would just ignore them all. Now, all the size 12 clothes will for sure fit, as well as the size 10 tops. It is so fun to imagine myself in them as I pass them by on the racks!

On the other hand, in the mail I receive four catalogs aimed at women who wear sizes 12w to 24w. Nothing in them will fit me anymore! I can wear a 12 from the juniors department!

Yes, I am losing this weight for my health, but I am actually having fun while doing it! I did not expect that. I am doing my best to embrace this lifestyle change and have fun walking and trying on clothes instead of eating.

I suppose I am on another weight loss plateau. Scott and I walked the dogs 2 and 1/3 miles, around the park. I did not cheat at all yesterday, but I only lost .2 pounds. Here is what I ate:

1 cup Special K, 1 cup strawberries, 1 cup soy milk
Half a cup of ham fried without oil, 2 cups steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots
Salmon patty, 2 cups steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots

164.0 Diet Day 7 of 13

I lost .4 pounds yesterday and now I weigh 164.0! We walked the dogs two miles in the park. I just love the way these Anne Klein jeans in this picture fit. Sadly, they will soon be too big! I just might have to buy some new once I am at my goal.

Just 19 pounds till I reach my goal of 145! I am a comfortable size 12 now, so I am sure at 145 I will be down to at least a size 10. I might adjust my target weight a bit once I try on some clothes, so that they are comfortable. I can fit into a few of the size 10 pants Mom sent for Christmas, but they are tight where they are meant to be loose.

[Edited later to add: I am now at my goal weight of 146. At that weight and my 5'7" I am a comfortable size 8. :)]

I looked up ideal body weight calculators online yesterday. It turns out there are a dozen different protocols for calculating one's ideal body weight. Also, the best protocols take age and gender into account, as well as muscle mass. There is even popular survey data that shows the heavier you are, the heavier you think you ought to be.

Anyway, it told me my medically indicated ideal weight is between 121 and 160. It said my current body mass index is 25.7 kg/m2. It says when I weigh 145 my body mass index will be 22.7 kg/m2. It says the medically indicated body mass index is 19 - 25. So, I guess I am on the right track!

Here is what I ate yesterday and lost .4 pounds:

1 cup Special K, 1 cup strawberries, 1 cup soy milk

Half a portion of Diet Ham Salad

Leftover baked chicken, onions and carrots

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164.4 Diet Day 6 of 13

I lost .4 pounds yesterday and now weigh 164.4. We didn't walk the dogs in the park. Scott had a physical therapy appointment for his arm at the VA Hospital. After that, we went shopping at Walmart, down the street. Scott took this picture of me while I was reading the label on these granola bars for him, to see if they contained any coconut.

We had so much fun shopping for things for our camping vacation this coming summer! We bought a Coleman camp stove! It can burn either Coleman fuel or gasoline.

I also bought 4 new, um, undergarments. My old ones were getting loose and humorously big in places. Most clothes I don't mind buying used, but not undergarments.

Here is what I ate yesterday and still lost .4 pounds:

Small bowl of Special K, strawberries and soy milk
Diet Ham Salad
One bite sample of frozen banana covered in chocolate (Costco)
Leftover baked chicken, onions and carrots

164.8 Diet Day 5 of 13

I lost 1.6 pounds yesterday and now weigh 164.8! We walked the dogs a mile around the park. It was almost 50 degrees out and I got too hot in my parka!

I successfully resisted cupcakes last night, at a dinner party. I brought hamburger and fixings over and made burgers for everyone. The host made some French fries in a deep fryer they had. I resisted those as well. He also showed up with a carton of fresh blueberries. Those were a cheat, but they didn't hurt much.

A fellow tourist took this picture of me and Scott in August 2011 at Mt Rushmore in South Dakota. At the time I had already lost 40 pounds off my original 240 and was thinking I felt great. Well, as of now I feel even better!

Here is what I ate yesterday and lost 1.6 pounds, along with walking a mile:

1 cup Special K, 1 cup strawberries, 1 cup soy milk

Baked chicken, onions and carrots

Hamburger patty, 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce, 2 cups steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots

1/2 cup fresh blueberries (cheat)

Edited later to add these links to other days I lost a lot of weight on my diet:

166.4 Diet Day 4 of 13

I have hit another weight-loss plateau. I did not cheat at all yesterday. I walked 1 and 1/3 miles. Yet, I only lost .2 pounds. Oh well. I know from months of experience now that if I just plug away at it the plateau will pass!

Here is what I ate yesterday:

1 cup Special K, 1 cup strawberries, 1 cup soy milk
1 cup ham cubes, 1 cup cold steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots
Salmon patty, 2 cups steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots

166.6 Diet Day 3 of 13

I lost 1.4 pounds yesterday and now weigh 166.6! I am getting reacquainted with bones I have not seen in ten years. My ankle bones used to be hidden under a roll of fat and swelling. My knees used to get swallowed up in thigh fat when I sat down. I still have a double chin, but I think that may be just old age catching up with me. It would be awesome if losing the remaining 21.6 pounds eliminated my double chin, though!

We walked the dogs 1.3 miles yesterday and then shopped our Walmart Supercenter for two hours. Who knows how far we walked inside that store. We bought two Shania Twain CDs and two movie DVD collections: The "Kill Bill" series and "The Matrix" series of movies. We had a Shania Twain concert with our dinner and then watched "The Matrix" over again last night. We agree it is one of the best movies ever made.

School started up today after Christmas break. I took my phone to bed and fully expected to be called in for substitute teaching, but so far I haven't received a call. That's OK. I will play the game I downloaded the other day: Sid Meier's Civilization V.

Here is what I ate yesterday and still lost 1.4 pounds along with walking 1.3 miles:

Small bowl of Special K, strawberries and soy milk

Leftover baked chicken, onions and carrots

Hamburger patty, 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce, 2 cups steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots

***Edited later to add these links to other days when I lost a lot of weight on my diet:

168.0 Diet Day 2 of 13

I lost 1.6 pounds yesterday and now weigh 168.0! That is a new low! Only 23 pounds to go to reach my goal of 145! Thanks to Mom, I actually am wearing some jeans that I will miss once they are too big. Also thanks to Mom, these size 10 clothes pictured at left await me once I fit in them!

Scott and I walked the dogs one and a third miles yesterday. We got to church right on time so I wouldn't have to watch everyone eating donuts for too long. I felt a little rude making my excuses to rush home to eat lunch afterward, but I really could not wait any longer than the 20 minutes we had already lingered to chat with everyone who had been at the New Year's Eve party. Perhaps I had better pack a lunch to bring to that church, too.

Here is what I ate yesterday and still managed to lose 1.6 pounds:

Small bowl of Special K, strawberries and organic soy milk

Leftover baked chicken, onions and carrots

Hamburger Patty, 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce, 2 cups steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots

If I drink anything with calories in it I will list that. Just assume I am drinking water, diet soda, black unsweetened coffee or some other non-caloric drink otherwise.

169.6 Happy New Year!

I wanted 5 glasses of water after my dinner at the party last night, so I am hoping much of the 1.2 pounds I gained from it were sodium. I am still under goal though! My keep trim goal was 171.4.

The camera focused on Oreo instead of on me when Scott took this picture! I think it's funny!

The party was tons of fun! We played a card game called "Apples to Apples" where you have to match concepts. It was so funny! A five-year-old won, of course! We also put together a jigsaw puzzle that Scott and I brought. At midnight we all circled up in the back yard and lit sparklers that Scott brought.

We couldn't find the crab dip yesterday at the store, so we eneded up bringing lasagna. Boy, was that a hit! The only other main dishes were some homemade chili and black-eyed peas. There was also corn bread, two kinds of potato chips and egg nog.

Today is Diet Day 1 of 12, so that I can stay on the schedule I mapped out months ahead of time in my calendar. Scott and I walked our mile yesterday with the dogs and then we walked all over Costco as well. Here is what I ate yesterday, on my last keep trim day this cycle:

1 cup Special K, 1 cup strawberries, 1 cup soy milk, black unsweetened coffee

Half a dinner plate of Costco combo pizza, Tropicana Lite Lemonade

6 ounces lasagna, Half a cup of chili, handful of grated cheese, bite of black eyed peas, half a cup of homemade corn bread, 1 small brownie, handful of BBQ potato chips, 5 glasses of water